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Here's the next part.
They drove to the warehouse the really long way round to make sure they weren't being followed, once Vaughn was sure they went straight there. It was a fairly quiet journey Sydney had put some music on at his request and they were quietly listening to Coldplay.
He pulled up round the back of the warehouse and stopped the car Sydney went to get out of the car but when she noticed he hadn't moved she sat back and looked at him.
"You ok?" she asked.
"What?" he shook his head slightly then smiled "Oh yes I'm good. Just thinking"
"About what?"
"Um us actually" her heart quickened "I was thinking about how we grew to know each other in there" he gestured at the warehouse. He paused and looked at her for a moment
"I used to come here to think about you when you were missing. I'd just sit on the crate and pretend I was waiting for you to come. That you would walk in with a smile on your face telling me not to be so early and we'd just talk. You never came though I used to come a lot but then less and less. I was here when they called me to say you were alive." He smiled "I couldn't help thinking that it paid off you had come back, all that time had paid off" he sighed "But…"
"I know" she said gingerly putting a hand on his. He tensed at the contact so much that she jerked her hand away but he caught hold of it and held it tightly. Rubbing his thumb over the back of it lightly he said
"I'm so glad you are alive Syd and I'm sorry"
"I know"
"Don't give up on me completely"
"I never would" she said smiling at him. He smiled back and squeezed her hand affectionately. "Shall we go inside?" she asked after a minute.
"Yeah" he said and smiled at her "Yeah" She shook her head chuckling slightly getting out of the car. He got Zara out of the back and Sydney got a beanie from the seat putting it on her head. "Why?" he said
"I don't know if they still have this place under then they can't see her as easily"
"Good point as usual" he nodded smiling and they walked inside. It was just as she remembered the same crates, no chairs but some blankets in the corner. She spread one over a long crate and Vaughn laid Zara on it and Sydney put another over her. Zara curled up and gripped the blanket pulling it round herself unconsciously but only using a small part.
"What do we do now?" asked Sydney.
"I have no idea Syd" he breathed out noisily "Talk. We could talk I feel like I haven't really talked to you in decades"
"Ok" she waved her hand and chuckled slightly "What would you like to talk about?"
"Your…uh…childhood pets"
"You think I had childhood pets with my parents" she laughed then stopped "Well actually there was Squeaker"
"Who was Squeaker?"
"He was my pet mouse"
"You had a pet mouse" he smiled "But I'd bet he wasn't allowed"
"No, god no" she laughed "Mum freaked when she found him. I was only about 5 I think. She was terrified of him but let me keep him" They were both laughing Vaughn leant against a crate.
"Irina Derevko is scared of mouses" said Vaughn. Sydney burst out laughing again at this. "What?" he was confused.
"Mouses?"
"Yeah what's so bad about that?"
"Vaughn it's mice" trying to sound serious.
"I didn't say mice" she shook her head. "Oops" She kept laughing at him and he put on a hurt look "Hey! Stop laughing at me"
She didn't stop so he grabbed her waist and started to tickle her mercilessly. She twisted and caught him off balance making him fall on top of her. They both froze staring at each other Vaughn carefully reached up to her face and brushed the hair lightly out of her eyes.
She smiled at him but her eyes had fear in them so he just kissed her forehead and moved off her standing up and helping her to her feet. There wasn't any discomfort between them surprisingly they sat and talked about lots of things they hadn't for a long time.
It was about half an hour before Zara moved at all. She was dreaming the ritual nightmare she had had for the last few weeks, well it was the same one she had had since Matthias had died but it only grew worse over time. This one had a running film of all their deaths leaving her parents and Edek until last.
Dream:
She saw them in pain she reached out for them trying to get to them and rip the bonds off. Her mother and fathers' faces turned to her crying.
"Why did you do this to us?" they said "Why did you kill us?"
"I didn't I'm going to get you out"
She was still trying to free them but then she came before Zara had always shrunk back but this time she kept trying to free her parents. She was hit and whipped. There were screams from everywhere they became too much and she shrank back hands over her ears.
"You gave up on us" voices were screaming at her.
Suddenly she was at the bridge in with Edek. It was daylight and he was holding her shoulders. She looked around it looked like Poland.
"What is it Zebs?" he asked. She looked around again and then at him backing away.
"You're dead"
"No I'm not" he looked at her "I'm right here. I'll never leave you" he put a hand on her cheek "Feel that I'm real"
"Thank god" she hugged him tight willing to be taken in for the moment.
"Something really freaked you didn't it"
"Just bad thoughts you know" he nodded
"I know" he said and put an arm around her shoulders "We have to stay strong together eh?"
"Yep" she held her hand out and they did their handshake.
"EZ" they said together "The unbeatable team" They laughed and he pulled her close again.
"It'll be fine tonight Zebs. Let's make the most of being home"
"Well your home but yeah" they walked off together.
It changed again and Edek was leaning against her bleeding.
"Bollocks" he cursed trying to stop the bleeding.
"You're hurt let me do it. What happened?"
"I was too slow. Tie this off"
She quickly ripped the bottom of her t-shirt and tied it around his shoulder. The scene changed again and they were fighting off the soldiers but she was next to him this time. She saw it all a soldier had him pressed up to the railing and she threw her knife it hit the guard but he fell on Edek's bad side causing him to cry out in pain and loose his balance.
She watched him start to fall and ran to help him but was attacked and held back by her, she was back again whispering in her ear.
"You do realise you killed him don't you?"
"No let me go." She struggled against her "Edek" she screamed.
"Zebs!" he yelled "Help" She tried to get to him but the were holding her too tight and she thrashed widely still not managing to get away.
Sydney and Vaughn were trying to calm her down. It was obvious that she was having a nightmare and crying out in an unfamiliar language.
"Zara" shouted Sydney for the fifth time while Vaughn tried to hold her still.
She surprised them both by sitting bolt upright and fighting them both off pinning to them to the ground before she even opened her eyes. When she did she was shaking with fear and jumped off them quickly.
"I'm sorry"
"It's ok" said Vaughn getting up and helping Sydney to her feet. He moved his shoulder gently "Man if that was you half asleep I do not want to fight you awake" he attempted to make her smile.
It didn't work she was still backed against a crate looking like a scared animal caught in the headlights.
"Zara" said Sydney gently "Are you alright?"
Zara seemed to gain control of her breathing and her voice and she straightened up still trembling but quelling it.
"I'm fine I just had a very bad dream" she smiled or tried to "I'm used to them" She looked at them smiling a smile that didn't reach her eyes and said "What are we going to do now?"
"Are you sure your alright?" asked Sydney looking closely at her.
"Yep" she said nodded and waving their concern away "Have them all the time"
Vaughn shook his head then asked her a question
"What language were you speaking?"
"Uh probably polish"
"Ah" said Vaughn. They sat in a tense silence for some minutes until Zara spoke up.
"Uh what's going to happen now?"
"Well we can do what we like really" said Vaughn
"Do I have to go back?"
"Yes" he sighed "Well what would you like to do?"
"I don't know" she jumped off the crate she was sitting on and walked it the chain link fence and leaned on it. "I'd like to get my stuff and the folders from my rooms"
"You're suggesting that we go back to where the Covenant could be?" asked Vaughn.
"They don't know where I'm staying they think I'm in some hotel they paid for. There are also some interesting characters that you guys would probably want to meet. They know more about the…politics of it than I do they helped us to keep out of too much trouble with them"
"Are you sure we can trust them?"
"Yes besides they know that if I don't come back in six hours they make a call in for me" she shrugged "They can pass the message that I'm dead but for that I need to tell them or the lovelies will most probably start a search for me."
"Ok" said Sydney "We'll go"
"No you don't understand I have to go" she sighed "They do not trust people full stop. I'm not lying if you walked in there with me your chances of coming out alive would be very, very slim. They know most of you lot and will think you're there for them"
"But you are not allowed to go anywhere without us" said Vaughn.
"You can come in but after I have talked to them and you have to promise not to carry weapons or even attempt to touch them"
"Why?" asked Sydney cautiously
"They'll hurt you. I'll restrain them as much as I can but there is only so much I can do so you have to do as I say" Sydney and Vaughn looked at each other with a doubting gaze "Please have I given you any reason to doubt me yet"
"No" said Vaughn
"Then please trust me" They both looked at her then at each other again.
"Ok" said Sydney. Zara smiled.
"Let's go" said Vaughn and with that they walked out of the building.
TBC
Hope you like.